Entities such as corporations typically make use of specialized devices such as caching servers, application servers, and backup servers to provide reliable computing resources to their users. Unfortunately, when more resources are needed (e.g., because the corporation has grown in size), expanding the existing infrastructure can be both difficult and costly. For example, when more of one particular resource (e.g., database storage) is needed, some corporations engage in a piecemeal increase of other resources as well, such as caching resources. Due to hardware and/or software incompatibilities, they may also engage in a large-scale “forklift” upgrade, in which large portions of the infrastructure are removed and replaced with new components, typically at great expense.